The Late Sir Joseph W. Swan". Newcastle Journal. 1 June 1914. p.2 . Retrieved 11 April 2021– via British Newspaper Archive. Swan's groundbreaking work in electric lighting earned him a central place in the annals of British technological history. By developing the first practical incandescent light bulb and illuminating some of Britain's most iconic landmarks with it, Swan revolutionised the way people lived, worked, and interacted, propelling society into an era of unprecedented convenience and efficiency.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me access to this ARC! Set on the rugged eastern coast of Newfoundland, Canada, this debut novel spoke directly to my heart. Scripps diver Mari Adams, about to lose funding on her current search for the sunken ship California...As past and present collide, the secrets hiding on the ocean floor begin to surface. Can Mari find the answers she is looking for—and at what price? Also, I needed more information and description about the interior of the lighthouse to make the story come alive and there was so much character jumping that, at times, it was difficult to know what was going on and where a sudden character introduction took place. The first private residence, other than the inventor's, lit by the new incandescent lamp was that of his friend, Sir William Armstrong at Cragside, near Rothbury, Northumberland. Swan personally supervised the installation there in December 1880. Swan had formed "The Swan Electric Light Company Ltd" with a factory at Benwell, Newcastle, and had established the first commercial manufacture of incandescent lightbulbs by the beginning of 1881. Swan, Sir Joseph Wilson: certificate of election to the Royal Society". Royal Society Archives. Royal Society. 1894. EC/1894/20 . Retrieved 11 April 2021.

Joseph Wilson Swan was born in 1828 at Pallion Hall in Pallion, in the Parish of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, County Durham. His parents were John Swan and Isabella Cameron. [5] It is in the realm of electric lighting that Swan's contributions to British heritage are most clearly seen. The incandescent light bulb, which Swan independently developed around the same time as Thomas Alva Edison in the United States, was a transformative innovation. With his bulb, Swan ushered in a new era of electric illumination, replacing the unreliable and hazardous gas lighting of the time.

is offered a lucrative side job looking for Swan Light, which had fallen into the sea a century prior, by a wealthy 104 year old woman... In this phenomenal first novel, the lighthouse at Norman Cliffs is not only a beacon to guide foundering vessels to safety, it is a comforting light in the darkness. It speaks to those who listen. While it stands, it lives.” — Historical Novels Review Swan was born in 1828 at Pallion Hall in Bishopwearmouth (now Sunderland) Northumberland, England and he served an apprenticeship with a pharmacist there. Swan first publicly demonstrated his incandescent carbon lamp at a lecture for the Newcastle upon Tyne Chemical Society on 18 December 1878. However, after burning with a bright light for some minutes in his laboratory, the lamp broke down owing to excessive current. On 17 January 1879 this lecture was successfully repeated with the lamp shown in actual operation; Swan had solved the problem of incandescent electric lighting by means of a vacuum lamp. On 3 February 1879 he publicly demonstrated a working lamp to an audience of over seven hundred people in the lecture theatre of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne, Sir William Armstrong of Cragside presiding. Swan turned his attention to producing a better carbon filament, and the means of attaching its ends. He devised a method of treating cotton to produce "parchmentised thread", and obtained British Patent 4933 on 27 November 1880. [15] From that time he began installing light bulbs in homes and landmarks in England. Despite initial issues with the high current required and the relatively short lifespan of the bulbs, Swan's invention found immediate applications. His own house, Underhill, became the world's first home illuminated by light bulbs. The Lit & Phil Library in Newcastle was the first public room lit by electric light during a lecture by Swan in 1880. Perhaps most famously, London's Savoy Theatre became the first public building in the world to be entirely lit by electricity in 1881.

I have to say that I still love the premise of Swan Light with its dual timeline and the past slowly being linked with the present. I loved the lighthouse setting and I wish there would have been more descriptions of the Swan Light and the town itself... As it is, I don't think its potential was truly met. That said, I had mixed thoughts about both timelines. There were times where I much preferred the 1913 storyline, and Silvestre is without doubt the more interesting character of the two. There were other times the past storyline highly frustrated me though, and I was more interested in the present timeline with the diving angle and salvaging details. Swan, M. E.; Swan, K. R. (1929). Sir Joseph Wilson Swan FRS: inventor and scientist. London: Ernest Benn, reprinted with an appendix, Newcastle upon Tyne: Oriel Press, 1968. ISBN 978-0853620488. Swan's unique contributions were widely recognised during his lifetime. Knighted by King Edward VII in 1904 and awarded the prestigious Hughes Medal by the Royal Society, he held influential positions in numerous scientific institutions, including the Institution of Electrical Engineers and the Society of Chemical Industry. Today, his pioneering work continues to inspire successive generations of British inventors and innovators. A sweeping, emotional tale of hope and perseverance, Swan Light weaves together the stories of two people separated by a century but connected by family, purpose, and one extraordinary lighthouse.Swan, J.W. On an improved electric safety lamp for miners Transactions, North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers 36 1886-7, 3–11 Marriages". Newcastle Courant. 13 October 1871. p.8 . Retrieved 11 April 2021– via British Newspaper Archive. As the dawn of the electric age broke over Britain, it was Swan's light bulb that first pierced the darkness. His work illuminated the possibilities of a new era, and his relentless spirit of invention continues to inspire the ceaseless march of British innovation. Truly, Sir Joseph Wilson Swan stands as a beacon in the landscape of British heritage, a testament to the power of scientific inquiry and human ingenuity. Marriages". Newcastle Journal. 12 August 1862. p.3 . Retrieved 11 April 2020– via British Newspaper Archive. The stunning cover with promises of a sweeping, emotional tale of the mysterious circumstances of a lighthouse, its keeper trying to save it, and present day divers tying to unravel the mystery of it all - just captured my salty heart the minute I laid eyes on it. ⁣